And we’re off

Martina Purdy reviews the declared runners and riders for the European elections in June 2009 and provides some speculation on how Allisters candidacy may affect the race.

The DUP have yet to declare, Allister, de Brún and Nicholson go again, the SDLP have selected Alban Maginness and APNI say they will run if an agreed unity candidate is not found.

Given we seem to be in electoral mode already I have added some European Parliamentary statistics on our current MEPs from the excellent Institute for Public Policy (IPP) in Bucharest below the fold.Jim Allister

He does not sit in a political group.

He is a member of the Committee on Fisheries, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and the delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly; he is also a substitute member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

Other questions (non-priority questions) shall be answered within six weeks of being forwarded to the institution concerned. There shall be no limit to the number of non-priority questions that can be submitted by a Member.

She is a member of the GUE/NGL (European Left/Nordic Green Left) political group  the 5th largest of 7 groups with 41 MEPs from the 785.

She is a member of the Committee for Regional Development and the Delegation for relations with the United States; she is also a substitute member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the Temporary Committee on Climate Change and the Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America.

He is a member of the EPP/ED (European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats) political group  the largest political group with 288 MEPs from the 785

He is a Parliamentary Questor  selected by MEPs to deal with administrative issues within the Parliament.

He is a member of the Committee on Regional Development, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, the Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand, the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia and a substitute member of the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula, the Delegation for relations with India and the Delegation for relations with the United States.